A wide variety of tape winding apparatus has been proposed heretofore. The most relevant types insofar as the present invention in concerned are prior art devices wherein core engaging segments are biased outwardly by an expandable bladder or tube. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,853,280 and 4,026,491 are representative of such prior art devices used in utilizing a bladder or tube. If the bladder or tube is punctured, the entire device must be disassembled and a new tube or bladder substituted therefor. Another problem with such bladder or tube prior art devices is that they operate on low pressure air, that is, below 30 psi, and which is difficult to accurately control.
Another relevant type of prior art device is one wherein the core engaging segments are provided with a piston which when pressurized biases the segments radially outwardly into engagement with a core. U.S. Pat. No. 3,010,671 is representative of such a device. The last-mentioned patent utilizes a separate discrete clutch for each core engaging member whereby the individual clutch members constitute spacers which are objectionable. The spacers constitute a means for accumulating errors when it is desired to accurately position the sets of core engaging segments. Further, spacers constitute a limitation on the number of sets of core engaging members which may be utilized over a set predetermined length of the apparatus, and substantially increase the weight of the mandrel.
The above and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention.